Endless Blue Skies
by enigmaecstatic
Summary: AU. Latowidge Institute. Here young men and women are trained to defeat chains and the evil Baskervilles that use them. Can Oz Vessalius and his friends survive through the battles, the drama, and the craziness that is Pandora?
1. It starts

AN: Yeah hi there! Welcome to my first attempt at writing. I, uh..hope you like it and, um…*nervous*….so yeah XD

I plan on making this a longer story, cuz frankly I like long stories with plots and developments and stuff. This is going to be an AU with many, many characters, though I'm not too sure on any pairings yet.

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Pandora.

A strange world full of strange things and even stranger people. A wonderful place where fantastic things can happen and adventure lurks behind every corner.

At the heart of Pandora lies Latowidge Institute, a school created to train young men and women to protect Pandora from the demons of Abyss. These demons rip through their dimension in order to feast on the flesh of Pandorians. This has been going on for a millennium.

One thousand years ago, the gateway from Abyss to Pandora was opened by a traitorous man, allowing the demons called chains to cross over and wreck havoc. A group of four warriors joined together to stop the chains and seal the way to Abyss. In order to seal the way and prevent it from being opened again, a young hero was forced to kill the traitor, his best friend. His minions, the red reapers, were to be thrown into the Abyss so they could never revive their master and open the way again. However, the plan wasn't fully successful, and a few of the Baskervilles escaped. To this day the Baskervilles search for their master, leaving chaos in their wake.

-present day-

"I'm leaving!" shouted an energetic young boy. Running down the stair case and through the foyer, he quickly dashed into the kitchen to grab some toast.

"Onii-chan! You should eat more than just toast for breakfast!" a sweet looking, young blonde girl scolded while pouring a bag of cat food into a few bowls on the floor. As if on cue, a mob of little fuzz balls attacked the bowls of food.

"Sorry, Ada, but I'm in a hurry. Oscar oji-sa-…erm, I mean Vessalius-sama asked me to meet him. He said it was important." The blond boy kissed his sister on the forehead and continued on his way out. He walked quickly back to the foyer, grabbed his coat off the rack, and slipped his shoes on. Swiftly buttoning the coat, he hummed a cheery tune. Then he was out the door, leaving his sister in the doorway waving goodbye.

"Oh! And can you feed Gilbert for me? I might be home late. ~" Oz called back quickly, hand to the side of his mouth in hopes she would hear him better.

"Alright. Have a good day onii-chan! Try not to get into _too_ much trouble!" Ada yelled out the door after her brother, ignoring the cats rubbing against her legs.

Oz jogged quickly down the path to the street, picking a bright red rose on his way. He sniffed the flower gingerly and smiled one of his brilliant smiles. Today just felt like a great day.

The walk went by quickly and soon he arrived at his destination. He skipped up the stairs giddily. 'My fifteenth birthday is in a week. Ah Latowidge, soon I'll be of age and can wander out on my own to seek adventure.' Oz laughed as he continued skipping along, the bubbly, excited feeling in his stomach increasing the more and more he thought about it.

He headed down the winding hallways, straight towards the main office. As he entered the room, closing the door with a soft click, he spotted his favorite secretary. Miss Kate always looked after him like he was one of her own.

"Ah Oz-kun. You're late," she said in a dry, scolding tone. She looked up in acknowledgement then went back to her papers.

"Hahaha~ Sorry Miss Kate. Ada held me up a little this morning." the blond chuckled. He reached into his bag and tenderly pulled out the red rose he plucked that morning.

"A beautiful rose for a beautiful young woman," Oz said smoothly, brilliant smile lighting up the room.

"Save it for the girls your age," she responding, not once looking up from her work. "Vessalius-sama is waiting for you in his office."

The blond sighed dejectedly and placed the flower down on the side of her paperwork. "So cold, but I like it when you play hard to get" he said with a wink.

"_NOW_, Oz-kun, and be quick about it. You already know the way."

"Yeah. Bye Miss Kate!~" the young boy laughed as he dashed off to meet his uncle.

"AND NO RUNNING IN THE HALLWAYS!"

He continued laughing but slowed down. He was just so excited, the butterflies in his stomach taking off once more. Walking down the long hallway, tacky blue carpet disappearing under his feet, Oz quickly arrived at his uncle's office. The energetic boy rapt twice on the door and let himself in.

"Oscar oji-san? It's me, Oz. Sorry I'm late, I…." the blond trailed off. The spacious office was empty and almost completely dark, except for the few rays off sunlight barely breaching the edges of the blinds and a small bowl of water, glowing a soft blue on the desk. He slowly approached the water, curiosity getting the best of him. When he reached the desk he leaned over the bowl, and as he did it glowed stronger. It was so bright Oz had to shield his eyes for a moment until it died down to a soft glow again. As the young boy uncovered his eyes he felt a presence behind him. Turning, he was greeted by the sight of a large demon in a black cloak. Sharp teeth jutting out from its mouth, eyes blood red, the demon loomed over Oz, menacing aura seeming to ooze from its every pore.

"There you are, Oscar oji-san. It's rude to keep guests waiting," the blond boy teased, wagging his finger and shattering the previously menacing aura. The "demon" in the black cloak sulked in disappointment. It removed the very realistic mask to reveal a large blond haired man with glasses.

"Damn, and I thought that one would scare you for sure!" Oscar whined.

"Ha-ha! Are you kidding? Your silly pranks never scare me," Oz boasted. "Gil is always the one scared out of his mind." He laughed, remembering his uncle's past attempts to scare him and poor little Gil's panic.

"Yes, and speaking of which, where is that adorable little chicken? You usually bring him with you."

"Oh, he fell yesterday and got a little banged up. I figured it would be better to leave him at home to rest than risk him getting hurt worse." Oz explained a little gloomily. Gilbert and him were practically attached, and he always felt a little lonelier without his companion. "OH! So what did you want to talk to me about?" the young boy asked, though having an idea of what already.

"Ah yes. I'm sure you already know what it's about, you clever little brat." He said, ruffling his nephew's blond locks affectionately. "In one week you'll be fifteen. On that day, you will attend the Coming-of-Age ceremony and after be sent off to master your skills and learn the ways of the world." He said in an obviously rehearsed tone. 'And God help whatever poor town Oz is unleashed upon' the man thought wryly.

"Ahh~ I cant wait to get out of this town! I've been dying to explore Pandora, have an adventure, fight some monsters, and rescue fair maidens!" Oz gushed, lost in his fantasies.

_WHACK!_

"Ooouch. What was that for!" the young boy pouted and rubbed the growing lump on his head, violently ripped from his daydreams.

The man chuckled. "Just knocking a little sense back into you. You know, it isn't supposed to be all fun and games. You need to practice with your powers and gain experience, so you can protect the people of this land from rampaging chains and-"

"-and stop the Red Reapers from finding and resurrecting their master and tearing open the way to Abyss once more. Yeah, yeah. I remember Oji-san." Oz rehearsed in a bored tone, effectively cutting off the older man. " That doesn't mean I can't enjoy myself along the way," he claimed with a big smile, practically glowing.

"Yes, yes. You should enjoy yourself. Just don't slack off too much." He ruffled the blonde's hair once more. "OH! Look at the time. You better hurry off to class. You have the next week to pack and prepare for your journey. Don't wait until the last minute."

" I know. I'm not a child anymore, Oscar oji-san."

" Make sure you spend time with Ada before you go." he continued.

"Yes, I know I know," the boy sighed.

"-and make sure you pack enough clean underwear" he added with a big grin on his face.

"OSCAR OJI-SAN!" Oz yelled, exasperated. He dashed out the door before his uncle could continue his lecture.

"And take Gil with you! I don't need to have to baby-sit that depressed thing while you're gone!" Oscar yelled good-naturedly at Oz's retreating figure. When the boy turned the corner, Oscar's huge grin quickly fell.

"I pray you can handle what's coming next."

-That Evening-

" Ada! I'm home!" called a cheerful voice. Oz stepped through the door and removed his shoes. He slung his bag off his shoulders and hung it up on the rack by the door along with his coat. Suddenly a weight latched onto his back.

"Onii-chan you're back! Welcome home. I missed you. How was your day? Dinner's almost ready. We're having grilled pork chops with mashed potatoes, corn, and apple sauce," the little girl babbled excitedly. Ada was only ten, but she was already cooking, cleaning, and taking care of her big brother. The two siblings basically lived on their own. Their mother had died long ago and their father had walked out on them when they were young. Now they lived with their Uncle Oscar, but he was working or away on business often. He left early and usually came home after dinner was over. That left the siblings to take care of themselves. Oz was very busy with his studies, so Ada took care of the house and their stomachs. She couldn't make anything too fancy, but what she could make usually came out pretty good.

Suddenly, there was a loud commotion coming from a room upstairs. The two looked at each other for a brief moment, emerald connecting with emerald. Then they bolted upstairs, Oz in front. He wretched open the door and was met with quite a sight. After a short moment to process what was happening, he started laughing.

Hanging from the ceiling lamp in the middle of the room was Gilbert, panicking and making all kinds of funny noises. Below him, sitting on a high oak table, were three of Ada's cats. Each one was meowing, eyes intently following their prey. The black one crouched down, rolling its tiny shoulders slightly, then….POUNCED! Gil cried out in fear, his terror swinging the lamp from side to side, but the little hunter missed its target. Oz let out another laugh, but finally took pity on poor little Gil.

"Alright, alright, you silly little creature. Calm down and I'll get you down from there. Ada can you take your cats downstairs please." Oz said, trying to quell his giggles.

He stepped towards the center of the room, Ada following behind him. She shooed the three mischievous kittens out of the room as Oz reached upwards. He tenderly cupped the soft, fluffy mass of black and lowered his hands. The boy sat down in a nearby chair and gently laid the fragile, still slightly terrified, puff ball down on the table.

"It's alright, Gil. The cats are gone. You can relax, you little scaredy-bird," the blond laughed lightly as he smoothed down the baby raven's feathers. Gil flapped indignantly, then turned his little body away from his master and curled in on himself.

"Aww~ Don't be like that Gil. I'm sorry for laughing, but…you know, you're so cute when you're scared." Oz said, head leaning against his hand. The small raven chick puffed up angrily, and turned farther away from the blond, embarrassed. Oz stared at Gil for a moment before reaching forward.

"Let's check how that wing is doing. You were supposed to avoid flying for a few days to rest it." He tenderly scooted the injured bird closer and gently extended its wing. He was no bird expert, but the wing didn't look any worse for wear. The little raven looked up at him for a moment before flapping his wing softly to free it. He then hopped onto his masters hand and cooed.

" Haha~ You never could stay mad at me for long. Such a sweet, loving pet." the young boy praised, petting the bird's fluffy head and standing up. He walked over to the gilded birdcage hanging next to his bed and slipped the raven chick inside.

"Now you stay here, and for goodness sake, stop trying to fly around. I'll be back right after dinner." Oz slipped a small treat inside and closed the door on the cage. He made his way out the door and down the stairs back into the foyer. Taking a right, he sat down at the dinning room table, ready to enjoy the delicious meal his darling sister made that evening.

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So yeah, there's chapter one I guess. Reviews and comments would be loved. If anyone can give me advice or constructive criticism I'd really appreciate it. I want to get better D'=

For anyone that liked it, I hope Gil being a bird messed with your mind a little =P


	2. Danger and nostalgia

Alright, here's chapter 2. I'm soooo slow at writing -_- but schools coming up soon and I'm one of those bad college students that doodles in class all day, so hopefully I'll get my butt in gear and write while my teachers lecture.

OH I never did the disclaimer. I don't own Pandora Hearts. If I did everyone would have seaweed head :D and Gil would be their king~

~-~-~-~-~-~-A few days later-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

"Aaahhhh~ It's such a beautiful day!" a young, blond boy exclaimed. And it was a beautiful day. There had been thunderstorms the past three days, so clear skies were a welcomed sight.

It was around noon and the sun was shining brightly overhead. There was a light breeze blowing, softly ruffling the leaves of the trees as it flowed by. Even the sky was bluer than usual, the bluest Oz thought he'd ever seen.

Everyone and everything was out enjoying the great weather. Birds were flying gracefully through the air, singing their sweet songs. There were groups of squirrels dashing about, fighting over the walnuts littering the floor and skittering up the trees when some curious kid wandered too close. A few of the local mothers were sitting on the benches of the nearby park gossiping over the latest news, while their children played on the jungle gym. A couple of boys were learning how to play catch with their fathers, while the young guys played Frisbee and tried to catch the eyes of the young women jogging.

Oz observed all this, leaning against his second floor balcony. He closed his eyes, just breathing in the fresh, crisp scent of the day. He felt the breeze tousle his blond locks and relaxed. While Oz did love to read, especially the Holy Knights series, he hated not being able to go outside and get some exercise, and all that rain really put a damper on his mood. The young boy always thought about the more….unpleasant parts of his life on rainy days. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't stop his mind from wandering down darker paths, despite Gil's valiant efforts to distract and cheer him up.

Speaking of the sweet little raven…

Gil was flapping his little wings in agitation, cawing constantly in an attempt to get his master's attention. He paced his cage door and pecked at the lock, unable to undue it himself. Desperate, he started crowing louder and louder.

"Alright alright! I'm coming!" the blond signed in exasperation. He reluctantly pushed himself off the balcony ledge and made his way to the hanging cage by his bed, where the little bird was making a loud ruckus. He undid the lock quickly. As soon as the door was open, Gil hopped out and onto Oz's waiting hand. He chirped happily and started grooming his uninjured wing.

"Neh, Gil? You're so clingy." the blond teased, poking the ravens fluffy little head.

"Onii-chan! Lunch is ready!" a sweet voice called from downstairs.

"Coming Ada! Let's go Gil. I'm starving!" he said, placing the small bird in his hair, Gil's usual perch, for whatever reason. The boy walked quickly out of his bedroom door and skipped down the stairs. Wandering into the kitchen, he immediately noticed Ada. She was staring out of the window with a sad look in her eyes. When the young girl noticed Oz was there, she brightened up immensely, smiling a large smile as if that upset look was never there.

"There you are, onii-chan! I hope you're hungry. I made chicken, roast beef, and ham sandwiches, potato salad, and diced fruit." she babbled happily, fetching a plate for him.

Oz was worried about her. He knew why she was upset. In a few days he would be leaving home to start his adventure. The two siblings were incredibly close and had never spent more than a few days away from each other. Oz was spending his last week at home with Ada, trying to make it a memorable one. The damn rain over the last few days sure didn't help his cause though.

"Oh! That's it!" he said to himself quietly, the light bulb in his head illuminating. "Neh, Ada? It's such a nice day outside. Let's have a picnic!"

"Eh!"

And so after packing up their lunch and a blanket into their old wicker basket, the two blond children and the little raven were off, walking down the long, winding stone path through the park. Oz turned off the path, pulling Ada along with him, through the thick grass that was as green as their eyes. The boy wandered around a bit, looking for the perfect spot for their picnic. He would stop at each promising spot, think for a minute, then decide against it with a "not quite right" or a "not here either." Suddenly he stopped.

"That's it!" he said with a shout, "It's perfect!" He dragged Ada behind him excitedly towards his "perfect" spot.

"What do you think Ada? I think I picked a pretty great spot!" Oz boasted, " We're close enough to the lake to have a great view and this big oak tree makes this spot very shady so it'll be cool. Plus we're away from the crowds back here."

The spot was indeed very secluded. While you would typically expect a spot close to the lake front to be crowded, no one was around. The lake in Latowidge was bordered on one side by the town, but the other side was bordered by a dark forest. Chains rarely attacked this particular city, most likely because its inhabitants were specially and specifically trained to handle chains, but if they did, they usually came out of the forest. This didn't really worry Oz much since not only was it rare, but he was one of said individuals. He was sure he could take any chain that dared to show its ugly face!

So the three sat down comfortably in the shade of the oak and enjoyed their lunch. Oz and Ada ate their sandwiches, feeding Gil some seeds and fruit for his lunch. But Oz, being the mini sadist in training that he is, decided to torment his sweet raven a little. Soon Gil had to earn his lunch by doing tricks, much to the poor birds embarrassment.

"Come on Gil. Shake and I'll give you this yummy apple slice." he claimed with a huge grin. The tiny raven tried to be stubborn an resist his masters commands, but he was quite hungry and really, he hated to deny Oz anything. After a couple moments, the raven reluctantly stuck his leg out, careful of his nails, and shook Oz's finger.

"Good boy, Gil." the blond congratulated, " Now sing!" he commanded, shit-eating grin plastered on his face.

As usual his master's demands only got more and more humiliating, but this time Gil complied more easily. The little bird chirped out a short, soft melody, too shy to sing very loud. Oz always liked birds' songs and he enjoyed his raven's sweet little tune, but of course he couldn't resist teasing him more.

"Neh, Ada? How is a raven like a writing desk?"

"Hmm? I don't know, nii-san. How?" she asked with her head tilted slightly to the right.

"They can both produce a few notes, though they are very flat." he answered with a laugh. He didn't really believe Gil's singing was flat or unpleasant, but the little joke seemed to upset the already flustered bird. With a little huff, the small raven chick flew off into the trees.

"GIL! Come back here! Don't go into the forest!" Oz called after him. Without thinking, he dashed into the forest himself, desperate to find his friend before something else did.

" Nii-san! Come back!" she yelled, but the young girl's cries fell on deaf ears.

Large, looming trees were the only thing to be seen in any direction, coming closer as if to over take him, then disappeared past the edge of his sight. The wind from his panicked running whipped him in the face and rushed past his ear in a deafening scream. The very air around him seemed to grow darker by the second, until it was so heavy he felt he could reach out and grasp it in his hands.

Everything he had ever been taught to him told him not to worry, the forest is safe, and he can handle himself…but he just couldn't shake the feelings of anxiety and dread. He could feel it in ever fiber of his being. Something bad was going to happen. He had to find Gil as soon as he could.

Oz continued his mad dash, frantically looking through the hanging branches and thick foliage, but there was no sign of the little raven. In fact…there was no sign of life anywhere. The blond came to a sudden halt upon this realization. Rationally he was thinking 'Animals usually avoid people, that's why I'm not seeing any' but with how eerie the forest felt he couldn't help remembering that animals leave before danger or disaster hits.

Unfortunately for the blond, he stopped at the wrong place at the wrong time. Ironically, just as he was thinking about the eeriness and the danger, an enormous shadow engulfed the young boy's figure. "EEP!" he squeaked out as he narrowly avoided a large…..paw?

Looking up at his attacker, Oz discovered one of the enormous hedgehog like chains that roamed nearby. This was one of the most basic types of chain, along with the Trumps and Mad Baby, but even so, Oz was still in trouble. His sword, specially crafted to kill chains, was back at the house, and he didn't have any power that could defeat it. He'd have to use his speed and wits…..

Taking a quick glance around, the clever blond formulated an ingenious plan. He would use the trees!

He dashed to the right, weaving his small, flexible body easily through the forest. The giant hedgehog had a bit more trouble. It attempted to follow, but its large body just hit tree after tree after tree. Enraged, the chain curled into a ball, rolled in place to build up speed, then let loose all at once in a deadly charge.

The evil rodent raced towards Oz, ripping up all the trees in its path from the roots. Hearing the sound of destruction, Oz looked back just in time to see the forest being overturned and the speeding ball of chain before he was struck hard, flying into a thick trunk.

Everything that happened next was a hazy mess of sensations. A heavy burning in the boys lungs, his breath forced out on impact and struggling to return. His vision went black, occasionally blurring back to reality, only to return to darkness. Aching and unmoving, the boy felt his limbs slowly going numb, consciousness fading.

As an afterthought, while he laid beaten and bleeding in the foliage, Oz took note of the sound of wood snapping and loud stomping advancing on him. He closed his eyes, resigning himself for his approaching demise.

"BOCCHAN!"

The blond started. Was it his imagination? He could swear he heard a high pitched, sweet voice calling out in distress. Somehow it was comforting…an a little nostalgic. Oz tried to regain his senses, regain consciousness, but he was just so tired. His body was protesting too much. The last thing he registered before finally succumbing to that sweet, sweet darkness was a flash of light and a black feather.

I think I'll leave off there :D mwahaha?

P.S.: So the Alice in Wonderland riddle. How is a raven like a writing desk? Well Lewis Caroll (the author for whoever didn't know) originally wrote the riddle with no answer in mind. A bunch of smarty pants book critics came up with some possible answers. One of them was the one I used. Both can produce a few notes, though they are flat. Just incase anyone cares~


End file.
